Carmel clerk-treasurer to run for Hamilton County Council

Christine Pauley, clerk-treasurer for the City of Carmel, announced Jan. 10 that she will run for Hamilton County Council. She’s seeking to replace Paul Ayers, a Carmel resident who decided to not seek a third term.

Pauley

Pauley will run against two well-known candidates: Rick Sharp, former president of the Carmel City Council and candidate for mayor of Carmel, and Ken Alexander, a Westfield resident who previously was the director of Grand Park.

Pauley said she decided to run because she believes her experience as clerk-treasurer and executive director of the Carmel bond bank can now be best served at the county council level.

“I am a fiscal conservative who understands the need for strategic planning of investments while achieving the best possible financing options for the taxpayer,” she said.

She filed her campaign papers on Jan. 10. She was joined by Ayers and former Carmel Mayor Jane Reiman, both of whom have decided to support her campaign.

Pauley is no stranger to headlines in Carmel. She ousted longtime incumbent Diana Cordray in her election in 2015 when she ran on Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard’s preferred slate of candidates. Since the election, she’s disagreed with Brainard and some of the members of the Carmel City Council on their spending decisions. She also got into a feud with longtime City Councilor Ron Carter over numerous matters regarding her salary and audits conducted by her office.

Sharp took to Facebook to criticize Pauley for deciding to run, saying that she would be abandoning her post if she didn’t finish out her term as clerk-treasurer.

Pauley noted that her elected position will be eliminated in 2019 and she would only leave her job a year early if she were to win the election.

“As Carmel moves from a third class city to a second class city with the retirement of the clerk-treasurer’s position, my experience in municipal financing, budgets, payroll, bond markets plus a working relationship with various county departments will be beneficial to the successful governance of Hamilton County,” she said. “I wish all the best to those who will declare their candidacy in the upcoming elections.”

Pauley is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in materials logistics management. She worked for the Dept. of the Navy as part of the Naval Air Systems Command and Naval Avionics Center, leading a contract management team responsible for preparation of bids, proposals and contracts.

She has three children: Daniel, Susan and Samantha. Pauley is an active member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church,

Hamilton County Council District 4 covers Westfield, Sheridan and western Carmel.